Anthony Stapley
Encyclopedia
Anthony Stapley was one of the regicide
s of King Charles I of England
.
Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham (1624–1625), Lewes
(1628), Sussex
(1640, 1653–1654). He was colonel and governor of Chichester
(1642–1645) and signed the death-warrant of Charles I. He was a member of Council of Statein 1649–1653, vice-admiral of Sussex in 1650 and a member of interim council and of supreme assembly in 1653.
, and was probably educated there.
Stapley represented the borough of New Shoreham
in the parliaments of 1624 (elected 21 January 1624) and of 1625 (elected 2 May), and the borough of Lewes
in that of 1628 (elected 26 February 1628), having unseated Sir George Rivers
by petition. He was returned both for the county of Sussex
and for the borough of Lewes to the Short Parliament
in March 1640, when he elected to sit for the county. He was again chosen by the county on 22 October 1640 to sit in the Long Parliament
, and represented it in the Barebones Parliament
of 1653 and the First Protectorate Parliament
of 1654.
In January 1640 Stapley, then a justice of the peace, was reported to Dr. William Bray
, Archbishop Laud's
chaplain, as causing trouble to the churches by his puritan leanings. On the outbreak of the English Civil War he received a colonel's commission in the parliamentary army, and was present at the siege of Chichester in December 1642 under Sir William Waller
. He was left as governor of the town and garrison when Waller moved on to the siege of Arundel Castle
. On 22 September 1643 he took the covenant
. At the beginning of 1644 he raised objections to the quartering in the town of some of Waller's horse. The dispute was referred to a committee of the House of Commons, and finally to the committee of both kingdoms
on 26 February He was ordered by both bodies to observe Waller's commands. While detained in London he was exonerated from all blame in the event of disaster at Chichester. He resumed the command of the town and garrison at the termination of the proceedings early in March. He retained his governorship till 1645, when he was succeeded by Colonel Algernon Sidney. In January 1644 he was deputy lieutenant of the county of Sussex.
Stapley was one of the commissioners who sat in judgement on Charles I
during his trial for high treason
. Stapley was present at Westminster Hall on 27 January 1649 when sentence was pronounced, and signed the death-warrant on 29 January. He was elected a member of the first Council of State of the Commonwealth on 17 February 1649 (when he signed the engagement), and re-elected on 17 February 1649–1650, 25 November 1651, 30 November 1652, and 9 July 1653. He was one of Cromwell's interim council of thirteen (29 April to 14 July 1653), and of the supreme assembly called on 6 June 1653. He had joined the admiralty committee of the committee of both kingdoms on 6 June 1649, was nominated vice-admiral for the county of Sussex on 22 February 1650, and took the oath of secrecy the following day. He died early in 1655, and was buried at Patcham
on 31 January. At the Restoration he was one of the regicides notified as dead, and excepted from the act of Pardon and Oblivion of 6 June 1660 (which meant that his estate was subject to confiscation).
. She was buried at Patcham on 11 November 1637. By her Stapley had three sons and one daughter. Stapley married a second wife, "Dame Anne Clarke", who predeceased him on 15 January 1654. Sir John Stapley
(1628–1701), the second but eldest surviving son abandoned the political views of his father, became entangled in a plot for the return of Charles II
as did his brother Antony.
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
s of King Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
Stapley was M.P. for New Shoreham (1624–1625), Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...
(1628), Sussex
Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)
Sussex was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
(1640, 1653–1654). He was colonel and governor of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
(1642–1645) and signed the death-warrant of Charles I. He was a member of Council of Statein 1649–1653, vice-admiral of Sussex in 1650 and a member of interim council and of supreme assembly in 1653.
Biography
Stapley was baptised at Framfield on 30 August 1590, was the son of Anthony Stapley of Framfield, Sussex, by his third wife, Ann, daughter of John Thatcher of Priesthawes, Sussex. The Stapley family removed about 1615 from Framfield to Patcham. Anthony about 1640 gave £10 to the new building at Christ's College, CambridgeChrist's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
, and was probably educated there.
Stapley represented the borough of New Shoreham
New Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)
New Shoreham, sometimes simply called Shoreham, was a parliamentary borough centred on the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in what is now West Sussex...
in the parliaments of 1624 (elected 21 January 1624) and of 1625 (elected 2 May), and the borough of Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...
in that of 1628 (elected 26 February 1628), having unseated Sir George Rivers
George Rivers
Sir George Rivers was an English politician.He was born the son of Sir John Rivers of Chafford and Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir George Barne, and probably educated at Trinity College, Cambridge...
by petition. He was returned both for the county of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and for the borough of Lewes to the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
in March 1640, when he elected to sit for the county. He was again chosen by the county on 22 October 1640 to sit in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
, and represented it in the Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...
of 1653 and the First Protectorate Parliament
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
of 1654.
In January 1640 Stapley, then a justice of the peace, was reported to Dr. William Bray
William Bray (clergyman)
William Bray was an English clergyman, chaplain to Archbishop William Laud. As licenser of publications of John Pocklington, he was drawn into Pocklington's case before the Long Parliament.-Life:...
, Archbishop Laud's
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
chaplain, as causing trouble to the churches by his puritan leanings. On the outbreak of the English Civil War he received a colonel's commission in the parliamentary army, and was present at the siege of Chichester in December 1642 under Sir William Waller
William Waller
Sir William Waller was an English soldier during the English Civil War. He received his education at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and served in the Venetian army and in the Thirty Years' War...
. He was left as governor of the town and garrison when Waller moved on to the siege of Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
. On 22 September 1643 he took the covenant
Solemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
. At the beginning of 1644 he raised objections to the quartering in the town of some of Waller's horse. The dispute was referred to a committee of the House of Commons, and finally to the committee of both kingdoms
Committee of Both Kingdoms
The Committee of Both Kingdoms, , was a committee set up during the English Civil War by the Parliamentarian faction in association with representatives from the Scottish Covenanters, to oversee the conduct of the War and Foreign Policy...
on 26 February He was ordered by both bodies to observe Waller's commands. While detained in London he was exonerated from all blame in the event of disaster at Chichester. He resumed the command of the town and garrison at the termination of the proceedings early in March. He retained his governorship till 1645, when he was succeeded by Colonel Algernon Sidney. In January 1644 he was deputy lieutenant of the county of Sussex.
Stapley was one of the commissioners who sat in judgement on Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
during his trial for high treason
High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
The High Court of Justice is the name given to the court established by the Rump Parliament to try King Charles I of England. This was an ad hoc tribunal created specifically for the purpose of trying the king, although the same name was used again for subsequent courts.Neither the involvement of...
. Stapley was present at Westminster Hall on 27 January 1649 when sentence was pronounced, and signed the death-warrant on 29 January. He was elected a member of the first Council of State of the Commonwealth on 17 February 1649 (when he signed the engagement), and re-elected on 17 February 1649–1650, 25 November 1651, 30 November 1652, and 9 July 1653. He was one of Cromwell's interim council of thirteen (29 April to 14 July 1653), and of the supreme assembly called on 6 June 1653. He had joined the admiralty committee of the committee of both kingdoms on 6 June 1649, was nominated vice-admiral for the county of Sussex on 22 February 1650, and took the oath of secrecy the following day. He died early in 1655, and was buried at Patcham
Patcham
Patcham is an area of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is approximately north of the city centre, bounded by the A27 to the north, Hollingbury to the east and southeast, Withdean to the south and the Brighton Main Line to the west...
on 31 January. At the Restoration he was one of the regicides notified as dead, and excepted from the act of Pardon and Oblivion of 6 June 1660 (which meant that his estate was subject to confiscation).
Family
Stapley married Ann, daughter of George Goring of Danny, and sister of George, Lord GoringGeorge Goring, Lord Goring
George Goring, Lord Goring was an English Royalist soldier. He was known by the courtesy title Lord Goring as the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Norwich.- The Goring family :...
. She was buried at Patcham on 11 November 1637. By her Stapley had three sons and one daughter. Stapley married a second wife, "Dame Anne Clarke", who predeceased him on 15 January 1654. Sir John Stapley
John Stapley
Sir John Stapley, 1st Baronet of Patcham , was a Royalist who plotted with members of the Sealed Knot to overthrow the Protector Oliver Cromwell and restore Charles II of England to the throne, but when questioned by Cromwellians he disclosed the plot and betrayed the other members...
(1628–1701), the second but eldest surviving son abandoned the political views of his father, became entangled in a plot for the return of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
as did his brother Antony.